Vera Francevna Menchik-Stevenson

Vera Francevna Menchik-Stevenson, née Vera Francevna Menchik, (born February 16, 1906, Moscow, Russian Empire—died June 26, 1944, London, England), Russian-born British international chess master who was the women’s world chess champion from 1927 until her death.

Menchik learned to play chess at the age of nine from her father. In 1921 her family moved to England, where she studied with the Hungarian chess master Géza Maróczy, whose style greatly influenced her. The first women’s world championship, which Menchik won, was held in London in 1927, and she retained the championship until 1939, when World War II brought an end to the tournaments. She also played successfully in several men’s tournaments, taking seconds and thirds. Upon marrying R.H. Stevenson in 1937, she became a British citizen. She was killed in an air raid in London during World War II.